Catalan cinema is well represented at the 76th edition of the Cannes Festival, which starts this Tuesday, with five productions chosen in different sections and six at the professional gathering 'Marché du Film'. The actor and director Elena Martín participates in the Directors' Fortnight with her second film Creatura, co-written with Clara Roquet. In the same section is Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, a Catalan co-production which is the first film by the Vietnamese director Pham Thien An. And at the 'Special Screenings' the new film by Pablo Berger (Blancanieves) competes with the Catalan animation Robot Dreams. Catalan short films arrive with Trenc d'alba, by Anna Llargués, and the co-production La veritable história de la baralla.
Five Catalan productions selected
As the great European festival gets under this Tuesday - it continues until May 27th - the health of the Catalan movie industry is once again reflected in a handful of productions that are in competition for some of the many prizes. Elena Martín and her second feature film, Creatura (Lastor Media, Vilaut Films, Avalon, Elastica Films, S/B Films), competes in the official programme of the 'Directors' Fortnight'. After making her debut with Júlia Ist, the Catalan director gets back behind (and in front of) the camera with a drama set on the Costa Brava that explores female desire and sexual repression. The film was co-written by herself and Clara Roquet. Competing in the same section of the festival is Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, the debut feature from Vietnamese director Pham Thien An, a Catalan-Vietnamese co-production between Fasten Films, JK Film, Potocol and Deuxième Ligne. Through the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell narrates the emotional journey of a man who returns to his village, where he is haunted by memories and desires of the past.
The Catalan animation Robot Dreams by Pablo Berger (Blancanieves) has been selected in the so-called 'Special Screenings', another section of the festival's official programme. The director embarks on his first foray into the world of animation working with Catalan producer Arcadia Motion Pictures in co-production with Lokiz Films AIE and the French producer Noodles Productions and Les Films du Worso. Robot Dreams is a story of friendship set in 1980s New York. Meanwhile, Catalan short films will be on show in two different parts of the festival, with selections in the Critics' Week and also in La Cinef, the section dedicated to audiovisual projects arising from film schools. It is in the latter where Trenc d'alba (ESCAC Films), by Anna Llargués, will compete, a film about dealing with sudden changes in life, having been selected along with 13 other films from 2,000 candidates. As for Critics' Week, La veritable histoire de la baralla, directed by Andrea Slaviček, a co-production between Catalonia and Croatia, will be presented there. Its director of photography, Alana Mejía González, also worked on Elena Martín's Creatura.